Aleppo has much to see and deserves a full day. (St. Simeon’s Monastery is close to Aleppo and can be done as a day trip.) Aleppo is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world and was an important stop of the trading route since it sat at a crossroads. The site has been occupied since 5000 BC, but archaeologists are unable to excavate because modern Aleppo covers the area. Syria only has three big cities. Damascus, Aleppo (pop: 1,700,000) and Latakia with the rest of the country consisting of desert, ruins, mountains and villages. A very clean city, Aleppo has a history of being hospitable to minorities…Turks, Jews, Kurds and Armenians.

Main sights to see: The Archaeological Museum, Great Mosque (Umayyad Mosque), souks and the Great Citadel. The Syrians also refer to Aleppo (Halab) as Syria’s most beautiful city.

The only entrance to the Citadel is through an outer tower on the south. This defended the bridge (once a drawbridge) over a deep moat. The square towers and an awesome entrance gate with arrow slits would have intimidated any attacker. Inside, we visited the cistern, vaults (could have been dungeons) and the Mosque of Abraham. Temples have stood on this site from the 10th century BC, and it didn’t become a residence and Citadel until the reign of Saladin’s son between 1193-1215.

The Mosque of Abraham was built in 1167 on the spot Nur-al-Din believed that Abraham stopped to milk his cow. (What’s that got to do with the price of apples is beyond me.) I think that the photograph below was the Aleppo Citadel. Help me out here and e-mail with the proper location if this is incorrect. It’s definitely in Syria and that’s what happens when you don’t label photos immediately. Wherever and whatever it was, scenic and gorgeous. Bad me….

Aleppo Citadel?
From the obligatory historical sights to the fun ones. Hours in the local Souks/souqs…with labyrinths leading to rugs, perfumes, spices, food, silver market (new and old silver), pearls, turquoise, jade, “old” stuff, new stuff walking on sloping stone passageways. I’m always ready to shop, browse and lose myself in one.
And after the souq, more lighthearted sightseeing at an old Caravansary/Caravanserai. A Caravansary…View image… is an inn built around a large court with a single opening wide enough for camels to enter. The Motel 6 of it’s day, a Caravansary had identical chambers and halls that would accommodate merchants, servants, their animals and merchandise at night along the ancient trade roads. I vaguely remember sleeping in a Caravansary turned modern inn somewhere in the world.

an decrepit Aleppo Caravansary in Syria